Reebok are up to no good at the moment, launching a super-cheeky campaign which pokes fun at rivals Nike whilst aiming to ‘put the fun back into running’. At the centre of the campaign is a community-driven website, www.goruneasy.com. It’s an online haunt for runners which allows them to share their routes (insert obligatory Google Maps tie-in here) as well as tips and playlists. It’s not as sophisticated or as seamless as Nike+, but it already seems to have attracted a dedicated community of athletes sharing the pain and the heartache of life as an exercise enthusiast. The site was built by Molecular and Carat Fusion.
Spurring the campaign is a series of controversial print and poster ads showing overexerted athletes chucking their guts up along with the words 'What are you just doing? Run easy.' Ouch. Obviously, the controversial subject matter has guaranteed a fair amount of press coverage in the mainstream media, neatly bringing Reebok’s ‘take it easy’ positioning to the wider audience it’s clearly targeting.
Whilst we can’t condone this kind of interbrand prodding (now now, children – play nice) we can sure as hell appreciate the sentiment. Surely if everyone ‘just did it’ all at once, the world would implode in one giant endorphin rush, showering toned abs and sculpted thighs far and wide. What happened to just going for a leisurely jog? That’s more our kind of thing, particularly as we can’t run to the shop for a KitKat Peanut Butter Chunky at the moment without wheezing. Damn you, Easter eggs.
